#218 - Forecasting 101 with Graza & Drivepoint
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 14 October 2025
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Turn every BFCM QR code scan into sales—get the free report now: www.uniqode.com/bfcmcpg
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Daniel Scharff is joined by Austin Gardner-Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of Drivepoint, and David Sooch, Senior Director of Finance at Graza, to unpack the art and science of forecasting for consumer brands.
They discuss why forecasting is one of the most critical processes for CPG businesses, how responsibility for it evolves as companies grow, and the risks of getting it wrong—from wasted cash tied up in excess inventory to missed sales and retailer frustration.
David shares how Graza approaches forecasting at the SKU, retailer, and distributor level, while Austin explains how tools and processes can streamline complexity and free teams to focus on decision-making rather than data wrangling. The conversation also covers the importance of balancing overstock versus understock, the dynamics between sales, operations, and finance teams, and the differences in forecasting for retail, direct-to-consumer, and marketplace channels.
Whether you’re a founder just starting out or a finance leader scaling a fast-growth brand, this episode offers actionable insights and proven strategies to strengthen your forecasting process.
Be sure to check out the free forecasting templates: https://www.drivepoint.io/resources/cpg-forecasting-templates-for-success
Don’t miss the chance to connect with investors and brands—secure your spot at fandf.startupcpg.com
Listen in as they share about:
- The Basics of Forecasting
- Stages of Forecasting by Company Size
- Tools and Technology
- E-commerce Forecasting
- Retail Forecasting Practices
- Forecasting Layers and Levels
- Timing and Cash Implications
- Templates and Practical Help
Episode Links:
Website: https://www.drivepoint.io/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austingardnersmith/
Website: https://www.graza.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsooch/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
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- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 1:13.0 | not their recycling bin. All right. |
| 1:37.1 | Fundamentally, when we're forecasting, what we're trying to do is create a picture of what the future looks like for the business so that we can make decisions that we need to make today. |
| 1:42.1 | And the better your picture of the future, the better decisions you will make today. |
| 2:04.2 | The very simple example of this is if you thought you were going to order $10 million, you thought you were going to sell $10 million, and you ordered $10 million and, you know, you didn't sell $10 million, well, you've got a problem. And if you thought you were going to sell $3 million and you sold $10 million, well, you've got a different kind of problem. Welcome to the Startup CPG podcast. Today I am forecasting that our episode is going to be amazing. For new and fast growing brands, forecasting is really tough, but it's incredibly |
| 2:09.3 | important. You could be out of stock at a big retailer or sit on too much inventory and not |
| 2:14.9 | know what to do with it. On today's podcast, we've got Austin Gardner Smith. |
| 2:18.8 | He's the CEO of DrivePoint. |
| 2:20.6 | They help lots of brands through forecasting and tons more |
| 2:23.8 | through their AI finance platform that is built for scaling CPG brands like |
... |
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